The burden of radiation exposure in children requiring percutaneous nephrolithotomy.

BACKGROUND: Children undergoing investigation and management for complex upper tract urolithiasis often require multimodal imaging. The significance of related radiation exposure in stone care pathways has received little attention in the published literature. STUDY DESIGN: Medical records of paediatric patients undergoing percutaneous nephrolithotomy were retrospectively analysed to ascertain the modalities used and determine extent of radiation exposure occurring during each care pathway. Radiation dose simulation and calculation was performed a priori. The cumulative effective dose (mSv) and cumulative organ dose (mGy) for radiosensitive organs was calculated. RESULTS: A total of 140 imaging studies were included from the care pathways of 15 children with complex upper tract urolithiasis. Median follow-up was 9.6 years (range: 6.7-16.8 years). The average number of imaging studies with ionising radiation per patient was nine, with a cumulative effective dose of 18.3 mSv across all modalities. The most common modalities were: mobile fluoroscopy (43%), x-ray (24%), and computed tomography (18%). The cumulative effective dose per study type was greatest for CT (4.09 mSv), followed by fixed and mobile fluoroscopy (2.79 mSv and 1.82 mSv, respectively). CONCLUSION: There is high general awareness of radiation exposure involved in CT scanning with resultant caution in employing this modality in paediatric patients. However, the significant radiation exposure relating to fluoroscopy (whether fixed or mobile) is less well documented in children. We recommend implementing steps to minimise radiation exposure by optimisation and avoidance of certain modalities where possible. Paediatrics urologists must employ strategies to minimise radiation exposure in children with urolithiasis, given the significant exposures encountered.

Is thoracoscopic esophageal atresia repair safe in the presence of cardiac anomalies?

BACKGROUND: Esophageal atresia (EA) is often associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). Repair of EA by the thoracoscopic approach places physiological stress on a newborn with CHD. This paper reviews the outcomes of infants with CHD who had undergone thoracoscopic EA repair, comparing their outcomes to those without CHD. METHODS: This was a review of infants who underwent thoracoscopic EA repair from 2009 to 2017 at one institution. Operative time and outcomes were analyzed in relation to CHD status. RESULTS: Twenty five infants underwent thoracoscopic EA repair during the study period. Seventeen (68%) had associated anomalies of whom 9 (36%) had cardiac anomalies. The mean operative time was 217 min. There was no difference in operative time between CHD and non-CHD cases (estimate 20 min longer operative time in the presence of a cardiac anomaly [95% CI -20 to 57]). Two cases were converted to open thoracotomy; both were non-CHD. There was no difference in the time to feeding, time in intensive care unit or time in hospital between CHD and non-CHD cases. Five patients developed an anastomotic leak (two CHD and three non-CHD) of which two were clinical; all were managed conservatively. There was no case of recurrent fistula. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study did not find evidence that thoracoscopic EA repair compromised outcomes in children with congenital heart disease. A prospective multicenter study with long-term follow-up is recommended to confirm whether thoracoscopic repair in CHD is truly equivalent to the open operation. TYPE OF STUDY: Therapeutic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.